Steam pressing machine



March 31, 1925.A 1,531,368

M. AUcELLo STEAM PREISSING MACHINE Filed 0G12. 4, 1924 f3 F E -1 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Mar. 31, 1925.

yUNITED sTATs Manco AUCELLO, or xNoxvInLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

1,531,368 f PATIENT oFFlcE.

STEAM vPIRLESSIITG MACHINE.

Application 1ed October 4, 1924. Serial NdA/741,602.

To aZZ'wwm t may concern.' i

Be it known that I, MARCO AUCELLO, subject of the King of Italy, a'nd a resident of Knoxville, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new "and useful Improvement in Steam Pressing Machines, of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to garment pressing machines, and particularly to a steam pressing machine for forming plaits in skirts or other similar garments of tubular shape.

It is an object of the invention to provide a machine which is simple in construction,

strong and durable, which will not easily buck, or subsequently interfere with the free turning of thegarment around the buck so as to bring every section thereof upon its uppersurface during the-series ofsuccessive pressing steps.

It is another special object to provide an apparatus which will not only permit a tubular garment to be readily shifted circumferentially to bring the successive portions thereof under the influence of the pressing bucks employed, but will support the portions previously plaited in a manner to assist in retaining the plaits already formed therein.

' for forcing steam A further special object is the provision of a loweri buck so formed that the means for accommodating the steam supply pipe through the garment operated upon will also function as a drainage means for discharging lthe water formed by condensation of excess steam from both the lower and upper bucks, such means being located entirely within the body ofthe buckV and not in the nature of external auxiliary attachments.

A still further special object of the invention is to-provide convenient means for heating both the upper and lower bucks as well as means for furnishing steam which may be ydirected through the garment operated upon from either or both of the bucks, as

desired, and in regulable, yquantities from either buck.

Further, it is a special object to 'provide i means for properly holding the plaits inv the garment during its preliminary treatment with steam and prior to the final pressing operation as a result of the pressure exerted between the two pressing bucks, all

without the necessity of puncturing the 'l fabric of the threads thereof' to injure them.

These and other objects of the invention will more fully appear when taken in conjunction with the following description and the appended claims'.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. -l is a front elevation of a machine embodying garment or subjecting the the invention; Fig. 2 an end elevation of thev apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 av plan view, with parts broken away, illustrating the construction of the lower buck o r pressing bed; Fig. 4 a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line IVj-IV, of Fig. 3; Fig. 5. a transverse -s'ectional 'view taken substantially on the line V-V of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 a view similar to Fig. 3' illustrating a modified form of the lower buck; Fig. 7 a bottom plan view illustrating the construction of the upper buck or pressing head; Fig. 8 a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line VIII- to harsh treatment tending A VIII of Fi 7, illustrating the method employed for lrect'ing a portion ofsteam supply for heating the buck downwardly through the -garment operated upon; Fig.".)l a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the lower buck or pressing head illustrating the use of the holding strips for placing plaits in a garment; Fig. 10 a fragmentary view in elevation of rthe portions shown in 9;

Fig. -11 a transverse vertical section taken through one of the holding strips showing the method of .assembling the laminations thereof; and Fig. 12 a longitudinal vertical section through one of the holding strips yshowing in detail the tapered forward end.

The machine comprises a supporting framework including a pluralityof suitably spaced supporting legs such as y indicated at 1, 1, 1, connected at their upper ends by transversely .extending portions such as 2, 2, supporting the superposed table 3. y 'Bhe framework andl table serve as means for conveniently' supporting the pressing bucks,

f by the bolts 7, which bolts .nay also engage the tablev 3 for anchoring the base thereto, if desired. The supporting bracket 6 is so shaped that the only portion thereof which extends between the body of the buck andv the base 4 is located at one extreme end of the buck, thus leaving the entire space between it and the remaining end of the buck entirely unobstructed.

The body 12 of the buck 5 is preferably made in the form of a metal casting, having formed therein the steam conducting passageway 13 and a drainage groove 14. The

Y drainage groove 14 is formed directly in the .x upper face of the body 12 and terminates short of either end of tlg casting, so as to leave a portion of the metalthereof between the ends of the groove and the adjacent endsL of the body. In cross section, the groove 14 is preferably shaped as clearly indicated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, and the bottom of the groove tapers downwardly from one end of the body to the other, a drain pipe 15 communicating with the groove at its depressed' end. The entire upper surface of the body is covered by a padding 16 which also partially embraces the sides of the casting in the manner shown in Fig. 5, the sides of the body being formed as shown especially for this purpose. The padding 16 is preferably made of any textile fabric, or equivalent material, suitable for the purpose, and corresponds generally with padding customarily employed on machines for the samegeneral purpose. In order to hold the padding in place, a covering of' textile material 17 is employed which extends completely over the padding and slightly overlaps the same at the lower face of the buck. These overlapping margins are preferably -connected by means of a number of coiled springs 1,8 so as to assure the covering 17 being held taut and free' of wrinkles and folds.

The padding 16, overlyingthe groove 14,y

cooperates with the casting to form a chamber in which is disposed a perforated steam discharge pipe 19 which is circular in crosssection. The pipe 19 lies within the'chamber thus formed and rests directly upon the bottom'of the groove 14 throughout its entire length. One end of the pipe 19 is closed by the cap 19' while its opposite end isconnected to a steam supply pipe 20 which depends and is positioned adjacent one end of the frame, previously described." lInterposed in the pipe 20 is a control valve 21 operatively connected by means of the arm 22 and link 23 to an intermediate point of a treadle 24 pivoted to the frame at ,25, the opposite end 26- of the treadle being suitably shaped for engagement by the foot of the operator. In order to normally maintain the valve 21 in closed condition, the end of the arm 22 is connected to a fixed portion of the frame work by means of a coiled spring 27.

Steam is supplied to the passageway 13 for heating purposes from any` suitable source by means of pipes,- one of which is indicated at 28, the steam being vdelivered to one end of the passageway and discharged at its opposite end so as tov maintain circulation therethrough at all times.

Disposed at one side of the table 3, and suitably connected thereto'as by means of bolts such as shown at 3() are a pair of upstanding bearing standards 31, 31', one of these standards being located at each end of the table. Supported at the upper ends of these standards, and extending therebetween is a rod 32 upon which are pivotally mounted a plurality of arms 33, 33', 33, the upper extremities of which are rigidly connected to the upper buck or pressing head 34. The arms 33 and 33 merely extend from the buck 34 to the rod 32 upon which they are swingingly mounted, while arm 337V is provided with an extended portion 35 projecting beyond its pivotal connection with the rod, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The extension 35 carries at its extremity a counter weight 36 suitably weighted to slightly overcome the weight of thefbuck 34 and other parts carried by the arms.

In 4order to actuate the buck-34 to swing it into contact with the lower buck 5 by means ofi the foot of the operator., when desired, the extension 35 is'pivotally connected to a link 37 the lower extremity of v which is pivoted atv38 to a treadle 39 'fulcrumed uponl a rod 40 extending between the side members of the frame, the freea end 41 of this treadle being conveniently shaped for contact with the foot of the operator.

The upper buck or pressing head 34 preferably consists of a metal casing 42 having formed therein the conducting passageway 43 and a recess 44 corresponding generally with the groove 14 of the lower buck, in that it is formed in the face of the body and ter- .minates short of the ends thereof. However, the recess 44 is located in the lower face of the body instead of in its top face, as is the case with the lower buck. Disposed within .the recess 44 is a perforated steam discharge pipe 45 having its opposite ends closed by means of capI members 45', 45".

padding 47 which is held in position by means of the fabric covering 48. Steam is supplied to the passageway 43 by means of a pipe 49 leading from a connection 50 which in turn is supplied with steam by means of the pipe 51', the axis of the pipe 51 being preferably located so as to correspond with the axis of the rod 32, and with the connection 50 contactinguthe bearing portion at the upper end ofthe standard 31. This arrangement permits the buck 34 to be swung about the rod 32 during the actuation of the machine without disturbing the relative position of the supply pipe 51 with the remaining`parts and rendering it unnecessary to employ flexible hoses or equivalent means in the steam supply line. The steam from the passageway 43 vmay be discharged by any suitable connection such as indicated at 52.

.Although the buck 34 may be swung by the foot-actuated mechanism previously described, it is frequen@ found more conin the plaiting of a garment.

venient to swing the buck by grippingthe same with the hands. A hand-grip 53 is therefore provided which is- Irigidly con` nected with the upper portion of the buck at one side thereof, and in a convenient location to b grasped by the operator.

Instead of constructing the pressing bed.

or lowe buck in the manner previously described it may be formed as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. In this embodiment, the body 12 is equipped with the drainage groove `14, the steam discharge pipe 19 and vthe drainage pipe 15, all as in the first described embodiment, but instead o f heating the body by means of a passageway corresponding topassageway13, a plurality of short Iducts 54 communicating with the groove 14 are provided at the opposite sides of the groove, and as clearly indicated inA Fig. 6 the ducts are preferably arranged in staggered relation to each other. The steam supply for these ducts'is obtained from the excess of steam escaping from the main steam dischargepipe 19, all vin a fashion which will be obvious from an inspection of the drawings. V

In Figs. 9 to 12 inclusive, there has been illustrated the method preferably employed Figs. 9 and 10 clearly indicate the method of encircling the lower buck 5 with the garment, a portion. thereof lying. directly' upon its upper surface, the several successive plaits in the garment 55 being indicated at 56. Y In formingv these plaits, thefabric 4of the garment is -folded in the manner illustrated, the

sure between the pair of pressing bucks.

In -other words, after the garment' has been placed upon the buck, a plait or fold is first made at 57, and the subsequent plaits 57, 57", 57 etc. subsequently folded in proper shape until the entire portion of the garment overlying the buck 5 has been thus treated. l

Figs. 11 and 12 illpstrate la holding strip employed for maintaining the several folds in the garment in place during the preliminary treatment thereof by the passage of steam therethrough prior ing operation. These strips are in the form of a laminated structure comprising a lower lamination 58 made of wood and a superposed lamination 59 made specific' gravity rigidly connected thereto. As illustrated in these figures, the laminations 58 and 59 are rigidly connected by means of a dove-tailed joint 60. As rshown in Fig. 11, the body of the holding strip is:

shown in Figs. 9 and 10. Assuming the .pressing head 34 to be in its raised condi-v tion and away from the lower buck 5, the garmentis placed so as to Voverlie the up'- per surface of the buck 5. This overlying portion of the garment is then folded in the manner shown in Figs. 9 and 10, with the first fold or plait 57 adjacent the front side of the buck at which the operator stands. After the goods are folded, to form the plait 57, a holding strip 62 is placed thereupon in the manner indicated in Fig. 9 withithe forward beveled end 61 resting upon the plait in the manner illustrated. The next succeeding `plait 57 is then` folded and a sec- ,ond holding strip placed thereupon in a similar fashion. The'plaits or folds 57, 57 etc. are thereafter formed in succes sion andare likewisel held in their folded position by superposing` thereon the several holding strips 62,all as clearly illustrated in Fig. 9 of the drawings. i

In order to* positively support the rear ends of the holding strips projecting overv the front portion-of the buck 5 during the arrangement of the folds as just described, a`tab1e or benchA (not shown) may be placed to the final press.

upon the base 4 immediately in front of the buck 5, and positioned closely thereto, the bench used corresponding in height to that of the buck so that the projecting ends of the strips 62 may rest upon and be supported by the bench.

After the folds have been thus varranged and the several holding strips placed thereupon, a charge of steam is lforced through the portion of the garment overlying the buck by means of depressing the treadle 24, the amount of steam thus passed through the garment depending upon the nature thereof, being suflicient to moisten the goods to. preliminarily fashion the plait and temporarily maintain the same after removal of the holding strips.

The folds or plaits being thus prelimi- I narily formed, the holding strips are removed, and the upper buck 34 swung downwardly into Contact with the garment and pressed downwardly upon the lower buck. With the parts in-this position an additional charge of steam may be forced either'upwardly through the garment by depressing the treadle 24, or forced downwardly through the garment by actuating'the control valve 47, or both, as is found desirable. After treatment with steam in this manner, the garment is subjected tothe drying action of the heated bucks in the customary manner well known to those familiar with this art for the purpose of finally setting the plaits in the garment.

After a series of plaits have been thus formed throughout one section of the garsteps to bring the succeeding portions there-V ment determined by the width of the buck 5, the garment is shifted so as to bring the adjacent untreated portion upon the top of the buck when another series of plaits are formed in the same manner, the same treatment being extended to cover the entire garment, or the portions intended to be plaited, in an obvious fashion.

In the case of treating garments of tubular form, the garment is placed so as to embrace or surround the lower buck. Due to the unobstructedv space provided between the buck 5 and its base 4, it is clear that the entire tubular garment may be treated by moving it circumferentially in a series of of upon the upper portionfof the pressing bed. It is also obvious that after one setV of folds or plaits have been made, the treated portions of the garment will be effectively supported upon the base 4 below the buck without danger of disrupting the plaits already formed in the event that the fabric has not been completely dried after the treatment with steam.

In actual use, the major portion of the steam passed through the garment is taken from the lower buck, the auxiliary means described for supplying steam from the upper buck being intended merely for spew cial purposes, and in the event that it is found desirable to also direct steam downwardly through the garmentb The excess steam discharged from the pipe 19 will condense and collect in the drainage groove 14 and will flow towards the depressed portion thereof shownv at the left hand side of Figs. 3 and 4 of the draw.- ings, and is finally discharged by means of the drain pipe 15. The condensate resulti ing from the steam discharged at the upper buck 34 will accumulate in the padding thereof and be transferred by absorption to the padding of the lower buck during contact of the bucks with each other, and thus ultimately be collected by the drainage groove 14 and discharged through the pipe 15 Due to the fact that the drainage groove 14 is formed directly in the upper face of the casting 12 and covered by the padding 16 a closed chamber is formed thereby in which to completely house the steam pipe 19, thus forming a very compact and convenient construction. In addition, due to the positioning of the pipe 19 within the groove and resting directly upon the bottom thereof, not only is a very sturdy construction provided, but the heat furnished by the `pipe to the condensate collecting therearound serves to reduce to a minimum the total quantity of condensate which must be discharged. Further, the resting of the pipe 19 directly upon the bottom of the groove 14( forms conducting gutters 'at both sides of thepipe which are of such form as to induce-a capillary attraction upon the condensate when formed to hold it within the gutter until it reaches the depressed end l (El) of the groove 14 above the drain pipe 15. y

ters from being disturbed or scattered by the action of the steam escaping from the pipe 19,`andJ aids in the prompt discharge of the condensate to the drain pipe.

While the invention is primarily intended for use in connection with the plaiting of skirtsor other garments of similar shape,l it is apparent that the apparatus may be used generally for a variety of uses for which machines of, this type are ordinarily employed.

I claim: a

1.y In a .garment pressing machine, the combination of a pair of bucks, the body of one of said bucks having a drainage groove formed in its upper surface, padding attached to the said bodyY covering the said groove, and a perforated steam supply pipe positioned Wit in the groove. s

2. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a pair of bucks, the body' of one of said bucks having a drainage groove formed in its upper surface, said groove having an inclined bottom and terminating short of the ends of said body, padding attached to said body covering said groove whereby to forni a chamber, and a perforated steam supply pipe disposed within the said chamber.

3. yIn combination in a garment pressing machine, a pair of superposed bucks, one of said bucks being adapted to be moved into and out of contact with the remaining buck, padding covering the contacting faces of each of said bucks, means for regulably discharging steam upwardly through the padding of the lowermost buck, the uppermost buck being provided With a steam heating body thereof, a perforated steam pipe in said body for discharging steam downwardly through the padding thereof, a pipe for conducting steam from said passageway to said perforated pipe,

passageway' extending through the f and means for controlling the ow of steam through the said pipe.

4. In combination in a garment pressing machine, a pair of superposed bucks, one of said bucks being adapted to be moved into and out of contact with the remaining buck, padding covering the contacting faces of each of said bucks, the body of the lowermost buck being provided with a groove in its upper face below its padding, said groove terminating short of the ends of the body and having its bottom inclined downwardly from one end of the body to the other, aperforated steam supply pipe within said groove and resting directly upon its bottom throughout the length thereof, and a drain pipe communicating with the said In testimony whereof, I sign my name.'

MARCO AUCELLO. Witness EDWIN O. JOHNS.

groove at its depressed end. 

